Playground

“Good job.” Dabi said. His voice was uncharacteristically soft. “We’re done here.”

You took one last long look at the UA’s training grounds. This was the last time you’d be able to come here.  You turned to follow. 

“That’s it huh?” Kirishima’s voice rang out from over a yard away.  “This entire time you’ve been with the League of Villains…?!”

“You really are stupid aren’t you?” Dabi let out a sinister laugh, “The only reason they ever came here was to sell your secrets.”

“You were... lying to us? This whole time?” You resisted the urge to turn around. You didn’t want to see the look of betrayal on his face. 

Seeing his look of utter betrayal wouldn’t be enough for you to change your mind, but it would hurt. It would hurt too much. 

“No. It couldn’t have been a lie! The experiences we’ve had together, the friendships you made! That wasn’t a lie!”

It hadn’t.

It really hadn’t.

When you first came to 1-A, you told yourself that this was a mission. That these teenagers were sheep to the system. Fated to become a part of the tortuous cycle. 

But things changed too quickly. You were loyal to the Liberation Front, that would never change. But you were tempted to call these people true heroes; their intentions were pure, and they had never acted corrupt in any way. 

‘Yet’ you had to correct yourself, ‘They weren’t corrupt yet.’ 

But it was only a matter of time before they began to change too. Not everyone could be like All Might. 

It’s only a matter of time.

That was your mantra for three years.

You clung to it desperately when Yaomomo offered to tutor everyone. When Aoyama talked on end about bedazzling his room. When Todoroki took metaphors too literally and made Aizawa sigh in exasperation. When Kirishima…

In your time at the UA, he’d never once doubted you. Always there. Always encouraging.

“Human sunshine.” Mina had said, “Him and Midoriya are too bright.”

At last you slowly turned to face him. And it was just as bad as you feared. He wasn’t crying. Not yet. But he was close. His face was pure agony as Dabi placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Let’s go.” 

“No! Wait!” Kirishima couldn’t come closer. Not without backup. But the rest of 1-A was too incapacitated to muster up the will to fight. But Kirishima had a fire in his eyes, like he could sway you with just his words. “You were my friend. You still are! You can still turn back! I promise- I promise this won’t change anything!”

“It will.” You say, mostly to yourself. A dark swirling portal materializes behind you and Dabi calls your name. Kirishima does too.

“I still believe in you!” He cries out, over the groans of pain from your classmates. “That doesn’t change! That won’t ever change!”

You’re sorry. But only for hurting him.